Pune: In a significant anti-corruption operation, an assistant police inspector and a police constable from Manchar police station in Pune rural were apprehended red-handed by the Pune Anti-Corruption Department. The accused, identified as Assistant Police Inspector Santosh Suresh Salunkhe (44) and Police Constable Sandeep Bhima Rawate (36), were caught demanding a bribe of Rs 40,000 and accepting Rs 8,000 to facilitate the return of a vehicle involved in an accident.
The incident unfolded on Saturday (23rd) near the gate of the Manchar Agricultural Produce Market Committee, in front of Siddhi Hospital. A 24-year-old individual filed a complaint with the Pune Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) after being coerced into paying the bribe by API Santosh Salunkhe and Police Constable Sandeep Rawate.
Responding to the complaint, a team from the Pune ACB conducted a thorough verification and confirmed the illicit demand for a bribe. The accused had asked for Rs 40,000 to assist the complainant in retrieving his bike. The ACB team swiftly set up a trap on the road near the Manchar Agricultural Produce Market Committee gate, leading to the red-handed arrest of Police Constable Sandeep Rawate while accepting the bribe. Subsequently, Assistant Police Inspector Santosh Salunkhe was also taken into custody.
Both accused individuals now face charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, as a case has been registered against them at Manchar Police Station. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Pune Zone Superintendent of Police Amol Tambe, Additional Superintendent of Police Sheetal Janve, and executed by a team led by Police Deputy Superintendent Nitin Jadhav and Police Inspector Vidyulata Chavan, along with Female Police Constable Sarita Vetal, Police Constable Navnath Valke, and Driver Police Constable Kadam.
